Monday, October 5, 2009

After missing last week I was overjoyed to see a nice weather forecast for this week. After struggling to get out of the house and being stuck behind a street line painting truck I staggered into the Dorothy parking lot. After seeing the sign that the bridge was out over the inlet I was starting to feel like any summit was not in the cards. I pushed on and made outstanding time to the inlet and crossed without getting my feet wet. The climb to the saddle above Bear Lake also went much quicker than expected. I had hoped to leave the trail below the saddle and head South to Little Bulger 5111' but the North Side of the ridge was drenched and immensely slippery. I decided to continue on to the trail to the campsites between Bear and Deer. I was surprised that there was a work crew camped at the first two sites. It looked like they are either staying for quite some time or have been there for awhile judging by the amount of stuff laying around. I continued past the sites and crossed the creek linking the two lakes. I considered just hanging out in the glorious sun. But soon my itch to keep moving overwhelmed me. I found a decent path continuing on along Deer's shoreline. The path ended in a nice secluded campsite. I decided to see how it would go if I kept on towards the day's goal. I crested a ridge between the two lakes and spied a nice open meadowy area below that I quickly dropped to. The way from there looked like it would go but I bet it would be much easier with all the brush covered in snow. I decided now it would be shorter to just continue with the circumnavigation of the lake instead of returning the way I had come. I crested another small ridge and dropped to another more open area that was in full sun. I dropped pack and enjoyed a sun filled lunch. This area being more open looked like it would be easier to access the rockslides that grant acess to the upper slopes. I decided to climb towards the ridgeline and traverse back to the trail which went fairly easily. Back on trail I pounded out the mileage in the waning sun back to the car. It was nice to steal another sunny day and I now have a much better idea of reaching Little Bulger from the North.

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About Me

I have spent my whole life exploring the lakes, valleys and high points of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. I would love to share this ongoing odyssey. When I was younger, exploring each and every lake was the goal. In recent years I have moved on to the pursuit of climbing The Home Court and Back Court 100 peaks that encompass this great area. I hope this blog both inspires and educates.

The wilderness was originally designated the Alpine Lakes Limited Area in 1946.After exhausting debates, public meetings and with even a request by the Forest Service to veto, President Ford signed the Alpine Lakes Area Management Act into law on the afternoon of July 12, 1976, reportedly saying “anywhere so beautiful should be preserved